New e-learning course and highlights from the previous edition: Introduction to SCP in Asia

21 March – 13 May, 2016

UNEP and UNITAR are happy to announce the 3rd edition of the e-learning course “Introduction to SCP in Asia”, taking place 21 March – 13 May 2016, which offers a large number of fellowships to policy-makers and practitioners from SWITCH-Asia countries!

This is the first e-learning course of its kind and is developed specifically for use in the Asia-Pacific context. It is designed to assist policymakers from the region in developing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating policies supporting a transition towards SCP. The course development and delivery has been supported by the SWITCH-Asia Programme of the European Union.

The pilot edition brought together more than 50 representatives from the government sector, civil society, and academia, coming from 20 different countries. With its second edition, 21 Septembers – 13 November 2015, the course already reached to over 110 SCP practitioners in Asia. Evaluations show that the course is effective in developing the capacities of its target audience - certification rates are 87% on average and an overwhelming majority of alumni found it useful and relevant to their work.

Feedback from participants in the 2nd edition of the course:

• “The course is very relevant for understanding the SCP issues and instruments for policy makers and practitioners”

• 100% of participants stated they would most likely use the information acquired during the course

Participants in the course learn about different concepts and facets of the SCP, as well as regional, national and sector-specific challenges and opportunities to implement SCP. Participation requires only basic internet connection and takes a total of 32 learning hours over an 8-week period (4 hours per week). At the end of the course each participant develops a practice-oriented SCP Action Plan. Course evaluations have shown that the SCP Action Plans often become a basis for practical implementing of SCP actions on the ground.

Key highlights from the 2nd edition of the course, including participants’ reactions to various elements of the course and a full list of SCP Action Plans developed, are available in the course evaluation report.

For more information on the course structure, methodology and learning objectives, please consult the course flyer.

Fellowship application process

A large number of fellowships for the course are available for policy-makers and practitioners from SWITCH-Asia countries. Kindly note that only applicants from SWITCH-Asian countries working in the public sector, academia, applied SCP projects, or NGOs, are eligible for a fellowship (Click here to see list of eligible countries). Interested applicants are requested to adhere to the following procedure

2 Send an e-mail to scp@unitar.org, containing the following information: your country of origin, current occupation, SCP related activities or projects you are involved in, and plans to use the knowledge gained professionally

3 Please attach your CV

Application deadline is 7 March 2016. Successful applicant will be notified of their acceptance in the course by 15 March 2016.